The Empowerment Exchange is part of New Paradigm Christian Church's ministry, located at 6202 N. Carrollton Avenue. Their efforts benefit overseas citizens who may never have heard of the Broad Ripple place of worship.

"Very recently we started a small, not-for-profit boutique where we sell items that have been hand-made by seamstresses and artisans from four countries: Columbia, Cambodia, Kenya and Zimbabwe. A network of missionaries supplies us with the merchandise and volunteers run the store. That means that 100% of the proceeds from the sales go back to the people making the items. These folks are being empowered to make a living for themselves and as a result, one village has been supplied with clean drinking water, another group of otherwise abandoned women are able to feed themselves and other women have been rescued from forced prostitution and/or the tragic choice of selling themselves or their children into slavery. I became involved in the Columbian mission through my wife. She was part of that mission when she was with me in Barranquilla in 2007. It's a fairly large city where we were working with people who lived in the slums," Pastor Jerry Sizemore explained.

Parishioner and program coordinator Joan Wristen said, "We are going out to the festivals around the area during the summer. We will be at the Broad Ripple Village Association in front of their main office during the sidewalk sale on Sunday, August 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. On July 23, we will be at the Brookhaven Senior Community in Greenwood." These are just a few places where unique ethnic clothing and accessories will be available.

Ms. Wristen described her participation with the project: "I met Lynn Asbury who works with the Jubilee Village Project. She goes to Kenya where she works as a missionary with women. I got involved with her, and my church (New Paradigm) has a mission with Columbia that branched off from it. My pastor, Jerry Sizemore, has contacts with people in Columbia and also knows people with Global Impact, who are in Cambodia. I handled all four of these missions and all of the monies go back to these countries that strictly empower women who have no means of support on their own. Any donations that I receive help keep us going. We're a grass roots organization, not a 501(c)(3). I'm passionate about my work. We're just starting out and we're looking for any donations and for any help. If any other churches, schools or organizations would like to get involved, they can call 252-LIFE," she added.

Her move to Indianapolis a few years ago has been life-changing. "When I retired, I moved here from Iowa after working 24 years as a correctional officer and field training sergeant with the Iowa Sheriff's Department. I have a twin sister, who is a receptionist that lives here in Indianapolis and a younger sister who is nurse here as well. My sister and I found New Paradigm Christian Church six years ago. It's a wonderful church community. What I love about it is that it's a missionary church and they really minister to those in need for substance abuse and martial problems. We cater to those people. They always feel like a family to us and they come back to visit. We have a pastor, Danny Wright, who ministers at night on weekends to the downtown community where he walks and talks to the guys on the streets. We don't just want to enable people, but to get the word out to them and tell them that we're here. We're thinking of different ways to reach the bridge kids here in Broad Ripple. We have a Tuesday night prayer group here at the church," she mentioned. New Paradigm's church calendar is at:

Pastor Sizemore's calling began early in his life: "My original decision to become a pastor was from my dad. He was a minister and I had been raised around ministry and was inspired by the work that he did. I had a local non-profit organization that was working with Hispanic immigrants where New Paradigm Christian Church supported our organization. I eventually became one of their staff members and one thing led to another in 2006 when I became their pastor."

The fulfilling aspects of his work at New Paradigm are realized on multiple levels. "Right now, one of the most rewarding things is that we have a scholarship program for students in Columbia. Seeing those kids go to school and then going on to live their lives, we have seen tremendous progress. Because of their economic situation, they would be lost resources to the world. Locally, the most rewarding thing is when somebody feels that when life is not worth living, they need the love and acceptance of the people of God and they know when they encounter it through his love. That is very satisfying to me," he noted.

The likelihood is that this fall, the Empowerment Exchange will return to New Paradigm, where bazaars were originally held on Saturday afternoons during the spring. More information on this can be found at their website, www.npccindy.org/missions along with some of Pastor Sizemore's sermons at: www.npccindy.org/sermon-library.

New Paradigm Christian Church Pastors Jerry Sizemore, David Wright, parishioner Joan Wristen and their congregation's work are enhancing the lives of people on a global scale from the heart and soul of Broad Ripple.